As I Roved Out: Burren Rangers! Boomshakalaka!
Joe Waters in action for Burren Rangers during the recent JHC final Photo: Pat Ahern
BOOMSHAKALAKA!
The immortal word of ebullient Olympic Basketball commentator Timmy McCarthy is the perfect fit to sum up Burren Rangers recent historic Carlow Junior Hurling Championship final victory over Mount Leinster Rangers. Your scribe didn’t know until he sat down to write this report that Boomshakalaka is an actual word in the dictionary, defined as “an exclamation that can express dominance, triumph, excitement, or joy.” See what I mean, the perfect fit as the people of Ballon, the Fighting Cocks and Kilbride celebrate an historic victory in the small ball code. A rider to that definition, says “it is especially used when commenting on big dunks in basketball”, a definition Timmy has brought to a fine art And if Timmy was in the County Grounds that Saturday he would have been in full flow … “Eight minutes gone in the second half, 0-13 to 0-7 Burren Rangers lead, here’s Billy Molloy, the substitute in possession on the terrace wing, he got a great point from the far wing a few minutes ago, he’s not going for a point this time, he’s on his bike is the No 16, gone inside the 20m line, will he shoot now? No he won’t … a lovely hand-pass into … into … ‘BOOMSHAKALAKA … a goal for Burren Rangers, a great goal … finished by … finished by … No 17 … another Billy, Billy Nolan … where did he come from I didn’t hear Marty Barry call out the change … not to mind, I dare say it’s a title clinching goal … Billy to Billy … there was a ‘Billy’s Boots’ a famous comic-strip in a old soccer magazine years ago, he used to score great goals too - the word ‘assist’ didn’t exist back then in sporting parlance - but it does now, Billy Molloy with the assist, Billy Nolan with the goal, ‘Billy’s Boots how are ya, this is ‘Billy’s Sticks!” Timmy was right, that was the title-clinching goal, the green flag that will feature in the highlights reel for years to come. However it is the points tally that would catch the eye of many observers, especially those only reading the result, taking in the 1-18. Timmy again …“If I’m not at a hurling match and I see in a report that a certain individual of my acquaintance scored a goal, an acquaintance who let’s say is no Christy Ring, I’d say to myself ‘fair enough’ the sliotar might have richoched off him over the line after the goalie pulled on it or maybe he tried to catch a long ball and deflected it passed the ‘keeper. But if I read 0-2 after his name I say ‘be the hokey, how in the name of God did he do that, scoring points in hurling is a fine art, there must be a bit of a Christy Ring in him after all!” zBurren Rangers, after early errors of brushstroke that saw seven wides stain the canvas, gave a exhibition a artistic point scoring, the pièce de résistance the exquisite line-ball, 25m out, stand wing, that Dylan Townsend cut between the dressing room end posts in the 13th minute. Apart from it’s technical excellence that point put Burren Rangers into the lead for the first time. In all Dylan Townsend contributed 0-9 to the Burren Rangers tally, that line-ball minor supplemented by seven expertly struck frees, one of which with 10 minutes to go had Timmy in full voice … “and from Downtown Dylan dissects the posts”.
After the goal, No 13 Jim Nolan picked off a brace of beautifully taken points, one of these after … well, let Timmy Mac tell ye …. “I cannot believe my eyes, I just cannot believe my eyes! No, no, my apologies to Jim Nolan’s family and friends listening in, he is a fine hurler, that second point proved the first one was no fluke but I’ve just seen the 8th Wonder of the Modern Hurling World, a first time ground pull! Dylan Townsend let fly on the ground, the sliotar sped along that lovely green surface and Jim Nolan, not a shocked as I was, picked it up and put it over the bar”. Turns out the first time pull was no fluke either, Dylan revealing after the game that manager Jarlath Bolger extols the virtues of keeping the ball moving.
Burren Rangers led 0-10 to 0-5 at half-time, 0-13 to 0-7 eight minutes after the restart, then … Boomshakalaka … the Burren Rangers goal that along with Jim Nolan’s points, a lovely Billy Nolan point and that Dylan Townsend’s point from ‘downtown’ gave the green and white brigade the cushion of a 1-17 to 0-9 point lead with 10 minutes to go, cushion enough to leave Colm Malone’s booted goal and John Coady’s goal from a penalty consolation scores. Much of the new champions success was down to the ‘thou shalt not pass’ attitude of the outstanding Burren Rangers defence, anchored superbly by county senior Lorcan Doyle, a terrific hurler. He may have all the skills and used them all very well but on a couple of occasions late in the game when maybe another Mount Leinster Rangers goal might have sparked a late rally, it was Lorcan’s heart and drive that stood out as he got in a couple of blocks and flicks that prevented those green flags being raised.
The whole county, no disrespect to Mount Leinster Rangers, are delighted Burren Rangers won the junior, reward for spreading the hurling gospel in fertile football country. “It won’t last” predicted more than one native of the area “they are drawing from three football clubs, three out-and-out football clubs, clubs who, as all neighbours are, are arch rivals; the hurling might be alright for young lads but when it starts interfering with the adult football the hurls will be flung aside.” I have to admit I nodded in agreement. Kilbride, the Fighting Cocks and Ballon were football clubs with long traditions, a tradition which included many a tough local derby battle. Every so often it was mooted that the three joined together, rather than dabbling at junior and intermediate level, would make a competitive senior outfit. Not just a temporary amalgamation but a united club. Don’t think it ever advanced beyond the mooting stage.
Same story with Old Leighlin, Leighlinbridge and Ballinabranna, three football clubs who would vehemently oppose a parish club but whose hurlers came together as Naomh Bríd. Burren Rangers followed suit, providing hurling for the footballers in the ‘Cocks, Kilbride and Ballon, first at juvenile level and with Camogie being promoted hand-in-hand a great sense of enthusiastic adventure was born.
And those of us who doubted the venture’s life-span were slowly but surely convinced that these new Rangers were going no where but up as an adult hurling team was added to their affiliations, an adult team that has lost junior finals, lost a junior semi-final to Kildavin-Clonegal last year, a surprise defeat that to us outsiders was going to be a real test of resolve.
But to the Burren Rangers mentors and players it was just a case of ‘keeping on, keeping on’, they love their hurling, they love playing hurling, they love the challenge of playing matches and here they are now junior champions. The challenge of Intermediate Hurling is now a reality, their flagship team crossing camáns with Carlow Town’s flagship team, Naomh Bríd’s flagship team, two clubs with ambitions to regain senior status. Whisper it, that too is Burren Rangers long term ambition. And why not? Last year who won the Minor ‘A’ Hurling Championship and won it in style? Burrren Rangers. A momentous achievement. Give those youths a few years at adult level, the higher the level the better, and the green and white camán wielders will, with the help of a few elder statesmen, cut a dash.
That’s it then, roll on 2025 … oh wait. We forgot to praise Mount Leinster Rangers for being so competitive with a third team, none more competitive than old stagers, Willie Hickey, Eddie Coady and John Coady who all proved class is permanent. Oh wait, speaking of old stagers and class being permanent there is one other Ranger we must extol, the Lone Ranger’ reincarnate that is the one and only Joe Waters, the 35+VAT winning centre half forward. The original fictitious ‘Lone Ranger’ conducted himself by a strict moral code that, among other things, included “that God put the firewood there but that everyman must gather and light it himself” and “in being prepared physically, mentally and morally to fight when necessary for what is right” plus “that men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number”. Joe Waters abides by all those codes and how fortunate it was that earlier this year Burren Rangers selector Shem Doyle and ‘retired’ Joe Waters should be shopping in Lidl in Tullow at the same time? It was that chance meeting that Joe going back hurling was first mooted. They both knew it would be best for the greatest number. Joe’s on-field leadership skills was, ten years after the adult pursuit began, the final piece in Burren Rangers completing the Junior Hurling Jigsaw.
